SquidgeWorld Archive

The night air was chill and the cold spray of the ocean was a mist upon his face. A gentle breeze caught his dark waves of hair and he loosened the hair bound in his pony tail to give the breeze access to the back of his neck. At night the ship operated with a skeleton crew, but Horatio was not on duty now. He had come up onto deck for a breath of fresh air and to be as alone with his thoughts as he could possibly be on a ship as large as the Indefatigable. However, he still felt bothered by a few issues he could not seem to shake, which were keeping him up late.

He gave a sigh, looking out for a time at the vast, seemingly endless waters as the black sky and dark water bled together far off at the horizon. Then he headed below decks towards the midshipmen's sleeping births.

The births were certainly a welcome change from the hammocks senior crew slept in on their previous station, the Justinian. There were many differences between that ship and the noble Indefatigable, and now that war had been declared Horatio knew there were many more changes to come. But the upgraded sleeping arrangement was among the most pleasant differences so far. Possibly it was second in favor only to one thing.

Horatio heard the sound of thumping and strangled, muffled yells. At once he recognized them and knew to whom they belonged. His familiarity with them was not a matter of much comfort and he quickened his pace for a few meters, practically sprinting down the narrow passage.

When he reached the point of the noises' origin, he threw open the door to the tiny birth and knelt down immediately beside his fellow Midshipman's bunk. "Archie!" he said, shaking the man outright, for he knew nothing less would wake him. "Bad dream!"

Archie thrashed about in his sleep, a pained _expression on his face. His soft cries were full of mumbled words Horatio could not identify, but he took their meanings. "Archie!" He called, debating whether or not to break out of a whisper. He knew for certain that Archie would not want his state known by the other officers, however, so Horatio gave it one last try, shaking the man through the heavy blankets. "Come on, Man!"

Archie woke with a start, startled to find it had been a dream. "Simpson!" he choked out between heavy pants.

Horatio gave a firm nod of understanding and said nothing, allowing Archie to remember on his own. There was nothing he could say, besides. There were some things men could not talk about... and there were some things, like this, that men did not need to talk about.

Slowly, as the realization came to Archie, his breathing slowed and his body calmed. He pulled his arm out from beneath the blankets and gently took hold of Horatio's hand. "My thanks for the waking, Horatio." He gave the hand a squeeze, and then released.

Horatio gave a softer nod. Then he stood and moved towards the shelf at the front of the tiny chamber. In addition to a few books, a stick of charcoal, and Archie's hat, there was also a small stack of clean handkerchiefs and a wooden mug of water. A makeshift cold compress was just the thing. Horatio pushed back Archie's fair bangs and laid the compress gently upon Archie's forehead. "Your dreams will continue to fade in time," he told the man reassuringly. From the look of them, they were already far better. And the man had not had a single fit since their transfer. "There is no use letting them keep you up any further or you will be no use on duty tomorrow. Get some sleep." Oddly, he felt he really should be listening to himself more on this subject, and smiled to himself.

Archie nodded back and reached up, adjusting the compress. He then relaxed back on his pillow and bunk with a sigh. "Would that my memories could fade as easily," Archie said with an unsteady voice. He looked about him a moment, comforted by his surroundings. Horatio knew he was also comforted by the knowledge that the distance between them and Midshipman Simpson grew greater every day. The man could not hurt them now. Archie took in a deep breath, which quivered slightly, held it a moment, then let it out slowly but steadily.

"Do you need me to stay?" asked Horatio, finding the question strange. Used to leading a much more solitary existence before the Navy, he had never heard himself say such words. They were heartfelt, nonetheless.

But Archie shook his head. "I'll be all right now." He gave a small yawn. "And you should get a decent sleep yourself. Our first battle could be any moment now."

Horatio rose, stepping out and straightening up. He pulled at his uniform until it was properly in place, and then nodded back. "You are right in that. Best to stay alert and prepared."

"Short of..." Archie gave a large yawn and closed his eyes as he softly smacked his lips afterwards. "Short of... sleeping in... uniform..." Archie muttered, halfway back to sleep already.

Horatio left him, but kept an ear out just in case as he retired for the night as well, finally feeling a little more at
peace with his thoughts.